Radio Shack MD-981 Electronic Keyboard User Manual


 
4
Features
ˆ
Features
Your RadioShack MIDI Keyboard is a
state-of-the-art keyboard with many ex-
citing features. You can set the key-
board to sound like 100 different musical
instruments or sound effects. To accom-
pany your music, the keyboard has 100
rhythms, as well as auto accompani-
ments and percussion sounds.
Your keyboard also includes a MIDI
(Musical Instrument Digital Interface)
feature, which lets you connect it to oth-
er MIDI-equipped musical instruments
or devices — even your personal com-
puter.
This versatile keyboard can provide
hours of fun and is ideal for anyone who
wants to make music, from the beginner
to the experienced musician.
Note:
The keyboard conforms to most,
but not all, General MIDI specifications.
Because of this, you might experience
some incompatibility when using the
keyboard with another General MIDI de-
vice. For more information, see “Using
MIDI” on Page 21.
Your keyboard’s features include:
61 Full-Sized Keys
— provide the feel
of a fine musical instrument.
LCD Music Information Display
shows you a ‘staff’ with the notes and
chords as you play them, along with the
fingering, current tone, rhythm, volume,
melody, and tempo. The display also
shows a metronome icon to indicate the
beat.
100 Tones
— you can set your key-
board to sound like anything from a
harpsichord to a honky-tonk piano.
100 Auto-Rhythms
— give you a
steady beat for many styles of music,
from rhumba to slow rock.
100 Prerecorded Tunes
— let you hear
a sample of what you and the keyboard
can do. You can play the tunes either
one at a time or consecutively, and you
can turn off the melody or accompani-
ment portion so you can play along with
the tunes.
12-Note Polyphonic Sound
— lets you
play and hear up to 12 notes at the
same time so you can play or create al-
most any type of music.
MIDI In/Out Jacks
— let you connect
the keyboard to another MIDI-equipped
device.
Sustain Jack
— lets you connect a
sustain pedal (not supplied) to the key-
board so you can sustain your key-
board’s sound.
Headphones/Output Jack
— lets you
connect headphones so you can play
without disturbing others, or an external
amplifier so you can play for a crowd.
Tune Control
— lets you adjust the
pitch of your keyboard so you can play
in tune with other instruments.
Transpose Function
— lets you in-
stantly change the key of the music,
even while you are playing.
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